The company revealed that its concession outlet in department store Harrods had proved a massive success

The company revealed that its concession outlet in department store Harrods, in Knightsbridge, South West London, had proved a massive success thanks to sales of items including a 153in Sharp TV, which sells for £600,000.

And, despite weak demand on the high street generally, Dixons Retail, which includes Currys and PC World shops, reported that its like-for-like sales in the three months to April 30 had risen 8% in the UK and Ireland.

The company also prospered in ­Scandinavia and central Europe but saw falling sales in crisis-hit parts of the eurozone, including Greece and Italy.

Total group sales were up 4%.

Dixons’ Harrods outlet was launched in March and sells designer editions of everyday electronic gadgets including jewel-encrusted BlackBerrys and leopard-skin iPad covers. Just 2% of the store’s shoppers account for 50% of turnover.

The Dixons group also benefitted from problems at rival Comet, which was sold to investment firm OpCapita for a nominal £2.

And its market share was bolstered further in its fourth quarter after US-based Best Buy called off its assault on the UK market with the closure of its 11 stores.

The Dixons group has 1,200 outlets across 13 countries.

The fourth quarter’s trading looks set to help the company to a better-than-expected performance for the financial year as a whole.

Its guidance suggests pre-tax profits will come in at between £65million and £70m on sales that remain unchanged.

Chief executive Sebastian James said: “Our overall group performance across the year has been slightly better than we had anticipated.

“We saw a strong end to the year, particularly in the UK and Nordics.

“And I think it is good to see the work that we have been doing to improve our ranges and service bearing fruit – as more and more customers are choosing us over our competitors.”

Looking ahead, James said the consumer environment remained uncertain and he promised to lead the company by “planning cautiously and managing costs aggressively”.

The company added that it expects to end its financial year with a reduction in its net debt to £110m.